Why too much Crossfit is bad for you

A study has found doing Crossfit-style workouts for two days in a row could damage the immune system. Photo / 123rf

Do you even rest, bro?

Doing CrossFit-style workouts two days in a row could damage a person's immune system, according to a new study.

"A rest day is important for recovery for subsequent training sessions," said Dr Ramires Tibana, lead author of the study from the Catholic University of Brasilia, which was recently published in the online journal Frontiers in Physiology.

After examining a group of experienced CrossFit participants perform workouts such as kettle bells, tyre flipping and ring pull-ups, researchers found that two consecutive days of the popular high-intensity workouts triggered a strong metabolic response and reduced the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, proteins produced by white blood cells.

According to reseachers, strenuous exercise over two consecutive days can suppress immune function. Photo / Getty

Lack of rest suppresses normal immune function - potentially causing athlete's fatigue, physiological stress and even illness, the researchers concluded.

"For non-athlete subjects who want to improve their health and quality of life through CrossFit training, we recommend that they decrease their training volume after two consecutive days of high intensity training to prevent possible immunosuppression," Tibana said.

"Other alternative recovery techniques are regenerative training (with low intensity and volume), massage and cryotherapy."